From 16th January to 16th March 2024, 29 ARTS IN PROGRESS gallery is delighted to announce the second part of the evolving exhibition entitled ‘MICHEL HADDI: BEYOND FASHION’, the first major solo show in Milan by French-Algerian photographer Michel Haddi.

The second exhibition phase will allow the public as well as collectors to grasp the essence of Haddi’s work in his rather unusual shots packed with a street vibe and an urban soul but also with a sense of irony and sensuality that highlight the Artist’s multifaceted personality.

On display are the most exemplary images of a career spanning more than 40 years, part of an endless archive of famous faces, top models, icons and legends from the worlds of music and art. From David Bowie to Debbie Harry, from Djimon Hounsou to John Galliano, including shots of Nicholas Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker, to name but a few.

In order to pay tribute to such a vast line-up of photos, the second exhibition phase will present the public not only with nudes and unpublished shots, but also evocative, brightly-coloured pictures packed with Nineties tropical American atmospheres, often linked to certain emblematic advertising campaigns created by Haddi for international brands such as Versace, Chanel, Armani and Yves Saint-Laurent.

In the countless faces portrayed by Haddi, he has succeeded in capturing the spirit of his time through the celebrities who have populated the history of fashion, film and music. His take is intimate, personal and unconventional, just like much of his career, which is a far cry from that of a classic fashion photographer: having survived a troubled childhood, during which he clung to his dream of becoming a photographer, Haddi has dedicated his life to illustrating some of the key players in the historical and cultural changes of the last Century with a rare ability to capture, and then successfully replicate, the deepest essence of his subjects.

Haddi, which literally translates from the Semitic language as ‘the one who sees’, has succeeded in the difficult task of seeing, precisely, the true nature of the subjects who posed for him in front of his lens – actors, models or ordinary people – and to replicate their image, at times ironically and at other profoundly: all his photographs have a story to tell because they are authentic pictures, which play with the most common human emotions and, precisely for this reason, become indelible.

The second phase of the exhibition will open to the public on Tuesday, 16th January 2024 at the gallery in Via San Vittore 13 in Milan and will be animated by an exciting two-day event, entitled “Be A Legend”, a real live shoot with Michel Haddi.